President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has cautioned state governors to immediately comply with the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments, warning that continued disobedience could force him to issue an Executive Order.
Tinubu said failure by governors to honour the ruling may compel the Federal Government to enforce direct payment of local government allocations from the Federation Account without recourse to the states.
The President gave the warning on Friday while speaking at the 15th National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
He expressed concern that many state governments were still withholding statutory allocations meant for local councils through the operation of joint accounts, despite the clear directive of the apex court.
“The Supreme Court has capped it for you again, saying, ‘give them their money directly.’ If you wait for my Executive Order, because I have the knife, I have the yam, I will cut it,” Tinubu said.
He added, “I’m just being very respectful and understanding with my governors. Otherwise, if you don’t start to implement it, fact after fact, you will see.”
The President’s remarks followed the July 11, 2024 judgment of the Supreme Court, whic’s upheld the Federal Government’s suit seeking to enforce financial independence for local governments nationwide.
In its ruling, the court ordered that allocations from the Federation Account be paid directly to local governments, in line with Sections 162(5) to (8) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Despite the judgment, most states have continued to operate joint state–local government accounts, a practice the court declared unconstitutional.
Addressing members of the APC National Executive Committee, including National Working Committee members and party leaders, Tinubu stressed that respect for the rule of law was non-negotiable.
“The ultimate goal is our Supreme Court. We have to comply. We have to respect the judgment,” the President said, warning that persistent violations could attract federal intervention.
